FIRE & Substack issue joint-statement in response to detainment of Tufts student-journalist, Allison Pillinger Choi’s Harvard bid, ERI’s first-ever guest-post, & more!

Bringing you the latest free speech news (3/30/25)

Story of the week

• Defending free speech: FIRE and Substack partner to protect writers in America

Earlier this week, federal immigration officials arrested a Tufts University student off the street, allegedly for an op-ed she wrote in a student newspaper calling for the university to divest from Israel. If true, this represents a chilling escalation in the government’s effort to target critics of American foreign policy.

This week in FIRE’s blog

• VICTORY: Federal court blocks Texas A&M’s unconstitutional drag ban

• Brown University targets student journalist for sending DOGE-like emails by Dominic Coletti

• FIRE-supported Utah legislation secures students’ rights to freely associate on campus by Sofia Lopez

• ‘Building Balance’ at Harvard: Allison Pillinger Choi’s bid for alumni leadership by Bobby Ramkissoon

The theme of my campaign, “Building Balance,” carries several layers of meaning. For one, it’s about fostering a diversity of viewpoints. This doesn’t mean insisting on a strict 50/50 split or symmetrical representation. Rather, it’s about broadening the spectrum of perspectives and opinions. It ensures that a wide range of voices are present. This approach helps prevent institutions from falling into the trap of echo chambers, where only reinforcing viewpoints are heard and where growth is limited.

“Building Balance” also refers to finding stability. Many higher education institutions today are navigating heightened tensions. I believe that embracing viewpoint diversity — by welcoming advocates from various personal and political backgrounds — can contribute to a healthier, more stable environment where all sincere, truth-seeking perspectives are respected and considered.

• Should the government punish you for allegedly ‘undermining’ diplomacy? by

  Sarah McLaughlin

This justification should set off a warning bell for anyone concerned about protecting freedom of expression in the U.S. There is effectively no limiting principle around speech that would allegedly “undermine diplomatic efforts.”

Can legal immigrants in the United States discuss human rights violations in Xinjiang or Hong Kong, even though doing so could theoretically imperil tariff talks or trade negotiations with China? What about criticism of the notion that Canada should become the “51st state”? Can Ukrainian immigrants criticize the actions of President Vladimir Putin while the U.S. is involved in talks between Russia and Ukraine?

• Victory in Virginia! Gov. Youngkin defends free speech by vetoing bill on ‘altered’ political media by John Coleman

• DEI statements could function as ideological firewalls, new study finds by

  Nate Honeycutt

• Is it ‘hate speech’ to say Jesus needs a haircut? by Sarah McLaughlin

This week in ERI

• Why censorship is making us all dumber by

  Julian Adorney
  (ERI’s first-ever guest-post!)

This week on

So to Speak

• This week on So to Speak, FIRE EVP and

  So to Speak
  host
  Nico Perrino
  is joined by his colleagues, Legal Director Will Creeley, Director of Campus Rights Advocacy
  Lindsie Rank
  , and Senior Supervising Attorney Conor Fitzpatrick to discuss how censorship is impacting institutions — from universities, to law firms, to the Maine House of Representatives.

FIRE in the press!

• An Ideological Screening Tool? DEI Statements Do Matter for Faculty Hiring, Evaluations (MI) by

  Nate Honeycutt

Critics of DEI statements have also raised concerns about using DEI statements as a screening tool that leads to a de-emphasis of other faculty capabilities. If researchers or teaching instructors are overlooked primarily due to a perceived deficiency in DEI credentials—overlooked without an evaluation of their teaching, research, or service records—some argue that this could produce downstream consequences for student learning, research activity, and publication quality.

London Calling: Ronnie’s First Amendment Roundup

• Iannacone v. Ellison

Things have been so fraught lately that this week it’s a walk on the lighter side: Mr. Iannacone, noticing while out driving a speed trap for oncoming traffic, opted to warn motorists by flashing his headlights at passing cars—only to catch the eye of Nicholas County Deputy Ellison, who pulled Iannacone over. The deputy issued Iannacone “special restrictions on lamps” and “unsigned registration card” citations, and when he laughed at the officer’s suggestion of the possibility of arrest for the infractions, the officer forced Iannacone out his car, handcuffed him, and put him in the back of the police cruiser. This week, Iannacone’s First Amendment and Fourth Amendment claims survived a motion to dismiss. The kicker? The officer doesn’t get to dodge damages—says the court: “Defendants assert that Deputy Ellison is entitled to qualified immunity because it is ‘debatable and thus not clearly established’ that ‘flashing one's headlights to warn other motorists’ is protected speech. That assertion, however, misses the point. Every reasonable officer in the United States is aware that retaliation for First Amendment speech is a violation of a person's constitutional rights.” And that includes laughing at cops.

Bonus good news: FIRE obtained a preliminary injunction so the show could go on for Texas A&M Queer Empowerment Council’s 2025 version of “Draggieland” after the A&M system purported to ban drag shows just weeks before the scheduled performance, which had received the school’s approval many months before.

Oh, and law firms targeted with Executive Orders got quick relief.

International free speech stories of the week

• BBC’s Mark Lowen deported from Turkey after covering protests (BBC) by Laura Gozzi

• University of Sussex fined £585k in transgender free speech row (BBC) by Branwen Jeffreys

• Pakistani YouTube Star Charged With Blasphemy Over Perfume (Barron’s)

Podcast of the week

I was thrilled this week to join Emily Jashinsky on UnHerd’s ‘Undercurrents’ to discuss the recent spate of detentions by the Trump administration of non-citizen student protestors.